Some 106 people have been charged in conjunction with the murder of a Christian couple burnt alive in a brick kiln in eastern Pakistan last November.
A further 32 suspects are being investigated over the murder of Shahzad and Shama Masih, who were murdered by a Pakistani mob in the village of Kot Radhakishan in Punjab province after being accused of burning pages of the Qu'ran.
According to evidence obtained by the court of Lahore, three religious leaders of nearby mosques – Mohammad Hussain, Arshad Baloch and Noorul Hassan – are accused of inciting a 400-strong mob, along with the owner of the kiln, Yousaf Gujjar. The crowd asked the couple to convert to Islam but they refused. They were seized, locked up for a night and were then killed by the crowd.
It has been suggested in the local press that Mr Gujjar made the blasphemy allegation after they failed to repay him some money he had lent them.
At the time of the attack, a local police official said the couple, who had four children, were beaten “with fists and sticks” by local villagers. Police attempted to stop the mob but were outnumbered.
Fr Waseem Walter, Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Pakistan, said the trial marked “a step towards justice”.
The missionary news agency Fides said Christian lawyers believe the process will help to show that Pakistan’s justice system does not discriminate against members of religious minorities.
Meanwhile a Christian man has been arrested in Lahore after being accused of setting fire to a box which contained the Qu'ran. As news of Humayun Faisal's arrest spread, hundreds of people gathered to set fire to St Joseph Catholic Church, and clashed with riot police. Local media quoted relatives saying Mr Faisal was mentally unstable and his condition was well known.
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